Vendar, the Eternal Empire
During the Dawn War, Vendar survived as a small, isolated trading post in the roiling seas of Ortea. With its location, it served as the last safe haven for travelers venturing from the Horned Highlands to the Katho Mountains, and it served as the first light of civilization for those on the return. It naturally became a target of the primordials and demons. The village faced constant assault from rogue elementals, demons, and kuo-toa, but they remained defiant, worshipping the gods and using their power to defend their homes. As the Dawn War came to a close and the lands of Ortea drained, a paladin of Erathis named Tholan Dakar lead the people of Vendar into the new world. Through his leadership and faith, the Vendari established a powerful kingdom and became an important bastion of trade, scholarship, and law in the war torn lands. Tholan eventually became a paramore of the goddess Erathis herself. When the goddess bore their demigod child, Alphion Dakar, Tholan declared the Dakarian line to be the eternal heirs and guardians of Vendar and everlasting servants of Erathis. Since that time, Vendar has expanded into a massive empire, fallen to a squalid, corrupt city state, and existed in every state of advancement and civilization in between. Throughout it all, the Dakarian line has ruled the city, and the central cathedral-fortress of Erathis has remained unconquered. At its height, Vendar spanned much of the continent, stretching from Qadin and the borders of the Sea of Sands in the south to the edges of the Vethorn and Silverthal Forest in the north. They ruled from the Horned Highlands in the east to the borders of Khoridai in the west. When the Chromatic Conquest arrived in Ortea, Vendar was reduced to a tribute state of the draconic invaders. When the Platinum Crusade arrived and conquered the city of Xiros, Vendar allied with them to drive off the dragons. After the war, Vendar saw great success, conquering many of the cities and kingdoms of Ortea. Over the last 300 years, they have claimed most of the lands between the Dragon Hills in the east and the Silverthal Forest to the west, and they’ve spread from the foothills of the Katho Mountains in the north to the Gildwater River in the south. A complicated feudal bureaucracy governs Vendar. Local nobility, former warlords, and knights govern much of the empire’s fringes, maintaining local loyalty and traditions. The priesthood of Erathis controls much of the empire’s trade, law enforcement, espionage, and military. Regions: The Heartlands - A prosperous region of agriculture that has long been the breadbasket of Vendar. * Angord - A prominent forge and center of Vendari manufacturing, Angord is ruled by a joint council elected by the Erathian faith and the trade guilds. * Highstone - Built atop a rocky promontory, this citadel holds an ancient Vendari temple of Ioun, containing much of the Empire’s knowledge. Maintained by House Nothier, talented wizards and battlemages whose symbol is a gauntleted hand holding a flame. * Imperial Prison - This stronghold holds many of Vendar’s most dangerous criminals and dissidents. * Parsus - A prosperous city at the heart of bounteous farms, ranches, and vineyards, Parsus has flourished as a liberal metropolis with a strong artisan class. In recent years, strange demons and dark mists have assaulted the city. * Stronia - A massive fortress city, Stronia produces much of Vendar’s cavalry and elite knights. Lead by House Barevon, whose symbol is a rearing horse flanked by two spears. House Barevon has hundreds of minor knights pledged to their ranks, and their knights make up most of Hestavar’s Host, an elite unit of Vendari cavalry. * Targozh Reservation - When orcs broke through the Katho Mountains during the dwarvish Crown Wars, the Vendari rounded up many of the invading warbands and confined them to difficult labor camps like Targozh. * Tombs of the Emperors - Carefully maintained by the Erathian faith, these mountain tombs are decorated with great statues and monuments. Southhearth * Azzaman - The crown of the Jeweled Valley, Azzaman is a prosperous city devoted to Tiamat. The heart of the original Chromatic Conquest, Azzaman features a vast temple overseen by the Darkscales of Tiamat’s faith within the Dragon Hills. The city is heavily guarded to protect from nearby Vendar and Xiros. * The Drake Wastes - A large stretch of desert utterly devastated in the wars between the Chromatic Conquest and the Platinum Crusade. * Fellmound - Ancient hills dotted with ruins of Demogorgon, Dagon, and Olhydra from when these lands were flooded in the Dawn War. * The Gnattooth - A vast swamp used by criminals and the few wild tribes that still oppose the Vendari Empire. * Korentia - Wealthy Vendari trading city, goods pass through to go around or through the Gnattooth to the Vendari heartlands. Criminals use the Gnattooth to fund a prosperous black market in Korentia. * The Platinum Citadel - A vast stronghold of the Bastion of Bahamut built within the Gnattooth, the Platinum Citadel monitors and opposes the influence of Azzaman. * Ruins of Lauret - Once a glorious city of Vendar, Lauret was utterly destroyed in the Chromatic Conquest. * Taldan - Prosperous mining city and armory of Vendar.